GREENPEACE CALLS ON EUROPEAN MEMBER STATES TO FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHT TO BAN GENETICALLY ALTERED FOOD

GREENPEACE CALLS ON EUROPEAN MEMBER STATES TO FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHT TO BAN GENETICALLY ALTERED FOOD
Luxembourg, October 16, 1997
Greenpeace urged European environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg today -- World Food Day -- to protect the right of European nations to refuse genetically engineered crops.
The Council of Ministers will discuss the controversial genetically engineered Novartis maize, which Austria and Luxembourg have tried to ban on health and environmental grounds. Under pressure from the United States, the European Commission is trying to overule their national import bans.
At today's meeting in Luxembourg, Greenpeace activists displayed a cartoon showing the Statue of Liberty with European Commission President Santer's face. At the same time in Paris, activists hung a banner at the French Statue of Liberty on the Seine, with the words "Protect Europe's right to ban genetech maize". A chef's hat was also put on the statue.
"US trade interests are forcing Novartis' genetically engineered (GE) maize into Europe," said Susan Leubuscher of Greenpeace's European Unit, "and the European Commission is abusing its power by sacrificing European countries' democratic rights, endangering the environment and putting at risk consumers health protection. Member States have to insist that the European Commission withdraws its proposal to deny Austria and Luxembourg their right to ban the import of the GE maize."
Greenpeace is also calling on France as the country which originally authorised the maize to withdraw that authorisation. Even France itself has refused to add the GE maize on its national plant variety list, thereby preventing the large scale growing of this GE maize by its farmers.
The Novartis maize contains a Bt toxin, a herbicide tolerance and antibiotic resistance genes. In September, the French Committee on Prevention and Precaution recommended that in the future no GE crops containing antibiotic resistance genes be authorised. In the same month, Norway announced that it would ban the import of the Novartis GE maize and other GE crops containing antibiotic resistance genes, including GE oilseed rape and GE chicory.
Meanwhile Greenpeace and organic farmers have jointly filed a legal petition with the US Environmental Protection Agency, demanding that all authorisation for Bt crops are withdrawn immediately. Bt is naturally produced by the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis and is commonly used by organic farmers as a natural pesticide. There is concern that if used widely in genetically engineered plants, insects will develop resistance to Bt.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Luxembourg:
Isabelle Meister or Susan Leubsucher ++41.79.4184455
Martina Holbach ++352.021.185085;
Paris:
Arnaud Apotheker on ++33 607 573160